Meldrum was a multinational heavy metal band formed by ex- Phantom Blue guitarist

Michelle Meldrum Michelle Meldrum (September 28, 1968 – May 21, 2008) was an American hard rock guitarist known for being a member of the bands Phantom Blue and Meldrum. Biography Meldrum was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a family of musicians and actors ...

History

American guitarist

started her first band Wargod with

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drummer

Gene Hoglan Eugene Victor Hoglan II (born August 31, 1967) is an American drummer, acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including use of abstract devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms. Though his pla ...

, later going on to form Phantom Blue, with whom she released two albums and an EP between 1989 and 1993. Meldrum was formed in Sweden in late 1999 with Hasse Sjölander on the drums, who was later replaced by Fredrik Haake. They recorded their debut album ''

Loaded Mental Cannon ''Loaded Mental Cannon'' is the debut album by the heavy metal band Meldrum. Guest appearances on the album include Brian Robertson (formerly of Thin Lizzy), Marcel Jacob (of Talisman) and founder/guitarist Michelle Meldrum's husband John Norum ...

'' in 2000, but due to trouble with the record company, the album was not released until 2001. Guest musicians included Brian Robertson,

Marcel Jacob Marcel Karl Jacob (30 January 1964 – 21 July 2009), professionally known as Marcel Jacob, was a Swedish musician, best known as the founder, chief songwriter, and bassist of the hard rock band Talisman. For a brief period, he also played in th ...

and

John Norum John Norum (born 23 February 1964) is a Norwegian-Swedish guitarist and one of the founders of the rock band Europe. Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a career as a solo artist. Biography As an infant, Norum moved with his p ...

, who was also Michelle's husband. In 2005 they toured for three months with

Zakk Wylde Zachary Phillip Wylde (born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt; January 14, 1967) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and as the founder, lead guitarist, lead singer, songwriter and producer of the heavy meta ...

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, appearing in sold out venues across the

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and Europe. In the fall of 2005 Meldrum joined

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

as special guests on their 30th anniversary tour throughout Europe. The band has also toured with

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...

, Danzig, and

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. Their second album, ''

Blowin' Up the Machine ''Blowin' Up the Machine'' is the second album by the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Meldrum, featuring a modified lineup compared to that of their 2001 debut ''Loaded Mental Cannon''. The album features a guest appearance by Motörhead vocal ...

'' (produced by

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), was released through

Frontiers Frontiers may refer to: * Frontier, areas near or beyond a boundary Arts and entertainment Music * ''Frontiers'' (Journey album), 1983 * ''Frontiers'' (Jermaine Jackson album), 1978 * ''Frontiers'' (Jesse Cook album), 2007 * ''Frontiers'' ( ...

in Europe on May 11, 2007, and in the U.S. on September 11, 2007. Motörhead's

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, Gene Hoglan, and former Phantom Blue drummer

Linda McDonald Linda McDonald is an American musician best known as the drummer of the all-female tribute band The Iron Maidens (billed as the "World's Only Female Tribute to Iron Maiden"). In addition, she was a member of the Ozzy Osbourne tribute band Th ...

all guest on the album. On May 18, 2008, Michelle Meldrum was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California, in critical condition. Three days later, on Wednesday, May 21, she died as a result of a

cyst A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct envelope and cell division, division compared with the nearby Biological tissue, tissue. Hence, it is a cluster of Cell (biology), cells that have grouped together to form a sac (like the manner in which ...

ic growth that had restricted oxygen and blood flow to her brain, rendering her braindead. Michelle had just completed writing and recording Meldrum's soon-to-be-released third album ''Lifer'' with drummer

, along with the group's latest additions, Michele Madden (vocals) and Laura Christine (bass). The surviving band members planned the release of the CD initially for 2009 in tribute to their fallen bandmate, but they kept the album from coming up indefinitely. On May 26, 2009, Meldrum, along with former vocalist Moa Holmsten, participated in a memorial concert in Hollywood, California, for the benefit of Michelle's family. On November 20, 2012, Meldrum released their third and last studio album, titled ''Lifer''. The album paid tribute to the late Michelle Meldrum.

Other projects

Moa Holmsten was the special guest vocalist on Motörhead's 30th anniversary DVD, and recorded guest vocals for Lemmy's solo album on a song written by

Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...

of the

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

Discography

* ''

'' (2002) * ''

'' (2007) * ''Lifer'' (2012)

References

External links

Official website

Official MySpace profile

Official YouTube channel
{{Authority control Swedish heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups disestablished in 2009 2001 establishments in Sweden 2009 disestablishments in Sweden Frontiers Records artists